A number of infrastructure projects in southern Africa were presented at the recent Dakar Financing Summit for implementation under the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA).
PIDA is a blueprint for African infrastructure transformation for the period 2012-2040. The programme was adopted by African leaders in January 2012 and provides a strategic framework for priority infrastructure projects expected to transform the continent into an interconnected and integrated region.
To mobilise financial investment to accelerate PIDA implementation, the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) organized the Dakar Financing Summit on 14-15 June in Senegal where a number strategic and regionally balanced projects were presented to potential donors.
Infrastructure development is pivotal to the socio-economic growth of the continent as thriving economies depend on a reliable infrastructure base, both at the national and regional level.
Key projects receiving donor funding include the Dar es Salaam Port, the Serenge-Nakonde Road, The Brazzaville Kinshasa Road Rail Bridge Project and the Kinshasa Illebo Railways in DRC.
The refurbishment of the Dar es Salaam Port will include deepening and strengthening the berth for deep sea vessels, and increasing the capacity to handle bigger vessels.
Once completed, the port would allow Tanzania and regional countries to earn as much as US$2.6 billion per year from traffic at the port.
The Dar es Salaam port is the second most important gateway for regional trade in east Africa after Mombasa, catering to 90 percent of Tanzania’s international trade and a significant part of trans-shipment trade for Zambia, Malawi, DRC and Uganda.
Rehabilitation of the Serenge-Nakonde Road will involve widening of the road, and its improvement will contribute to cost reduction for road transportation along the North-South and Dar es Salaam Corridors, as well as reduce accident losses for the transport of passengers and goods.
Ultimately, it is expected to improve the competitiveness of business in the eight countries that share the North-South Corridor - Botswana, DRC, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Project completion is expected by 2017.
The Brazzaville Kinshasa Road Rail Bridge Project and the Kinshasa Illebo Railways in DRC will include a combined road, rail and rail-bridge as well as a one-stop border post.
The railway line will be connected with the Lumbumbashi-Ilebo line. This will create a railway link between central and southern Africa across the DRC.
Source: AllAfrica.com
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